A Thought of Compassion
by Ali Wenstern
Summary: Cathie was saved by a mysterious shadow girl when she was 13 years old. Now 25 years later, her daughter, Amber, meets the same girl and becomes determined to help her after a price is placed on the girl's head. Time is short, the clock already ticking...
1. The Rescue

Cathie Johnson ran down the street. Her long brown hair whipped around her wild blue eyes. She took the corner sharply, hardly pausing to see her surroundings. The sound of the footsteps behind her was the only thing that kept up her frantic pace as her sneakers slammed against the damp streets. The rain fell down in a shrouded mist, enough to get everything wet. It made it even harder for Cathie to run in the night, but she ran on, trying to outrun the two men chasing her. Unfortunately, the alley she had tried to run down had reached a dead end, and the only way out was back towards the two men, or down the darker side alley. She decided to risk it and ran down the dark side alley. As she ran, she glanced over her shoulder briefly to see if they were still following her. Suddenly, Cathie's feet got tangled up together and she lost her balance; falling to the ground. She felt her jeans tear as her knee skidded across the ground.

Cathie covered her head and waited, frightened, for the two men to reach her. But instead, a whooshing sound filled the air and something landed close to her head. Raising her eyes slightly, Cathie saw a dark figure standing over her; a person, a girl by the outline. The girl's features were completely covered in shadows, except for her eyes, which were lit up by the moonlight. It was the girl's eyes that paralyzed Cathie with fear; they were dark blue and narrowed in anger.

"There you are!" a voice taunted as the two men caught up to her.

A low resonating hiss sounded and Cathie realized it was coming from the shadow girl's throat. The girl moved around Cathie and took a stance between her and the approaching men.

"Look at this, Dave," the first man said, "We got ourselves another one."

"We've lucked out, Brian, now there's one for you and one for me," the other man said.

Cathie peered up at the girl and tried to tell her to run, but no sound came out. Suddenly, however, the girl launched forward, as if on springs, and shot towards the two men. One of the men let out a cry of shock as the girl hit him square in the chest and knocked him back several feet. The man let out a grunt when he hit the ground and went still.

"Dave!" the man named Brian shouted before turning to the shadow girl, "You're going to pay for that, girlie!"

Brain swung his fist at the shadow girl, but she jumped back and Brian's fist met with empty air. Cathie heard him curse and he tried to get another punch in. This time, however, the shadow girl grabbed the man's fist in mid-air and twisted it sharply. Brain screamed in agony as a loud cracking sound filled the air. Cathie realized with horror that the shadow girl had snapped the man's wrist like it was a toothpick.

"Dude!" Brian tried to scream a warning to his fallen comrade, but the shadow girl's fist slammed Brian right in the nose and he crashed back into a wall.

Cathie watched as Brian's limp body sagged to the ground in close proximity to her. His nose was gushing blood and his eyes were wide and glassy; he was dead.

"You bitch!" Dave screamed, finally managing to get to his feet.

He ran towards the shadow girl and swung a fist at her, but just like with Brian, she jumped out of the way. This time, though, she launched a counter-attack sooner and her fist struck Dave right in the chest. Dave let out a chocked cry and blood bubbled out at the corner of his lips. He dropped down at the shadow girl's feet and was still; Cathie was sure that he was dead as well. The shadow girl kicked Dave over on his back to check if he was dead before turning and began walking towards Cathie.

Cathie remained frozen where she was, staring at the two dead bodies. But she raised her gaze when the shadow girl walked up alongside her. The shadow girl paused and looked down at Cathie, before continuing on deeper into the dark alley.

"Wait," Cathie called suddenly.

The shadow girl stopped and turned her head slightly over her shoulder.

"Who are you?" Cathie asked.

The shadow girl didn't respond, but looked up at the top of the alleyway and Cathie followed her gaze. The rain was still coming down in a shrouded mist, keeping everything in a hazy mist. On top of the building perched another figure. It was merely an outline, same as the shadow girl, but it had an eerily body: thin and skeletal with a long, barbed tail. However, its head was the most frightening aspect: it was extremely long and curved. She stared at the creature for a moment longer when it suddenly ducked away from the edge of the building. Cathie lowered her gaze back to the shadow girl, but to her dismay the girl was gone.


	2. 33 Years Later

"Cathie? Cathie? Can you hear me?" Drew, Cathie's husband, called to her, waving his hand in front of her eyes.

"Huh? What?" Cathie asked.

"Are you alright? You were staring off into space," Drew said, putting his hand back on the steering wheel and easing forward through the intersection.

"Yes, I'm fine," Cathie responded and went quiet.

They were on their way to their daughter's eighth grade graduation and Cathie had drifted off to her recurring dream from a long forgotten memory.

"I was trying to tell you that Jacob is going to be running a little bit late: traffic," Drew said.

"Alright," Cathie responded, nodding her head.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Cathie insisted.

While Drew turned back to paying attention to the road, Cathie reached down and picked up the plastic bagged newspaper.

"When's this from?" Cathie asked.

Drew gave the paper a sideways glance. "I think it's from yesterday."

"Why wasn't it brought in the house? I was looking for it everywhere yesterday."

"I'm sorry, dear, I must have forgotten to bring it in."

"That's alright. You know that I can't read my paper out of order, though."

"Well why don't you read it now?" Drew asked, "That way you can read today's paper tonight after we get back from dinner."

"What a great idea!" Cathie said sarcastically and Drew rolled his eyes.

Cathie took the newspaper out of the plastic bag that it had came in and unfolded the paper. The front cover headlines were stating something about the recent shootings that had taken place a few days ago. But Cathie ignored the headline and, instead, skimmed through the paper; looking for anything else that jumped out at her. A few pages in, one particular article caught her attention and Cathie had to read the title a few times before the message sank in:

_**Mysterious Shadow Girl Strikes Again**_

Cathie's breath caught in her throat; could this be the same girl that had saved her life when she was only thirteen years old? No, it couldn't be, that would mean the girl would be a woman by now, probably older than Cathie. Yet, the article claims that it was a young girl who was seen in the dark alley. The article was also saying that the girl killed another person again. The witness had apparently been chased and had run into a dark alley way when the shadow girl appeared and killed the attacker. The article stated that this would be the eighth murder in the last month. The police had been called in to investigate this case. And there was currently a team of police officers patrolling the streets at night.

"Do you know about this?" Cathie asked Drew.

Drew turned his attention away from the road briefly to look at the title of the article. "What about it?"

"It says here that the shadow girl killed another person, and that it would be eight in the last month. The police have gotten involved."

"Would do some good if that girl was caught," Drew said.

"How can you say that? This girl saved my life!" Cathie insisted.

"I know, you've told me this story many times," Drew responded gently. "I just think that it would be best if she was found, if she's killing people."

"How can you say that?! If she didn't intervene I wouldn't be here!"

"You should consider yourself lucky, though," Drew said, "The way you described her methods leave me to believe that she may have some mental issues."

Cathie didn't have a chance to respond as Drew turned in to the church parking lot and two girls came running towards the white Camry.

"Hey mom!" one of the girls said.

"Hi Amber," Cathie responded.

Amber was tall and lanky, perfectly built for track and field. Her constant time in the sun resulted in dark, tan skin. Her crystal blue eyes matched those of her mother, but she had the fair blonde hair of her father.

"You look nice sweetie," Drew said, getting out of the driver's side.

Amber was wearing a yellow spaghetti strap dress that came down to her knees and white sandals. The yellows seemed almost florescent against her tan skin.

"Thanks, dad," Amber responded, "Jen thought I'd look good in it."

Jen was Amber's best friend, and has been since 1st grade. She was more dressy than sporty and always wore the latest fashion. She seemed to consider herself Amber's personal fashion consultant and had stated her determination to turn Amber into a dressy girl.

"So how was the sleepover?" Cathie asked.

"It was so much fun, Mrs. Robinson. And look how pretty Amber is!" Jen said.

Amber rolled her eyes. "I'm looking forward to tonight, when we get to party at my house as 9th graders."

"You two better not be up all night," Cathie said, jokingly as she got out of the car, "Oh, by the way, we have a surprise for you at the end."

"What?" Amber immediately asked.

"Well then, it wouldn't be a surprise would it?" Drew asked, coming around the car and wrapping an arm around Cathie.

"Ugh!" Amber groaned, "Then why did you mention it, if you weren't going to tell me?!"

"Just pay attention during mass and you might notice something," Cathie said.

"What kind of a hint is that?" Amber asked.

"It doesn't matter," Jen interrupted, "Look, Abigail is waving to us."

With that, Jen grabbed Amber by the arm and dragged her off to a group of friends.

"Why didn't you just tell her?" Drew asked.

"I thought it would be more exciting if her brother just showed up out of the blue for her graduation," Cathie explained.

"Maybe you're right," Drew replied and he took Cathie's hand to lead her into the Church.


	3. Happiness Before Disaster

* * *

The Church was packed as Drew and Cathie made their way to a pew in the middle of the Church, the pre-graduates were sitting in the front few rows of the church, in alphabetical order, which meant that Amber and Jen had to sit two spots away from each other. As Cathie sat down she saw Jen glancing casually back at the parents. Suddenly, her eyes grew wide and she turned around and leaned over the two girls that separated her and Amber. She said something frantically to her and Amber's head spun around to stare in the back of the Church. Cathie smiled, knowing who it was, and turned around too.

Jacob stood in the doorways, wearing a nice suit and tie. His features were more closely linked to his mother than his father with bright blue eyes and a thick brown hair which he usually kept buzzed. He was just as tan as Amber, maybe even more, from spending every weekend running. His eyes were searching the crowd until he found Cathie and Drew and he made their way to them. Cathie rose to her feet to greet her son.

"Hey mom," Jacob said.

"Jacob," Drew said, simply taking Jacob's hand and shaking.

"It's great to see you," Cathie said.

"I'm just glad that I was able to get away from school to get out here to see Amber graduate."

Cathie smiled. "I told her I had a surprise for her, she wasn't expecting you to come, but she knows now."

Jacob looked up to the front row and his eyes met with Amber's. She waved frantically and he returned the wave, flashing a white toothed smile.

"I can see she's excited!" Jacob said. He sat down just in time as the choir got to their feet to lead in the processional song.

* * *

At the end of Mass, in the reception room, Amber ran to her brother and jumped up into his arms. He spun her around in a full circle before placing her back on her feet.

"I didn't know you were going to be here!" Amber shouted excitedly.

"What? And miss my lil' sis's graduation? No way!" Jacob replied.

"I'm glad you could come!" Amber said.

Jacob chuckled and looked around the room. "Where's Jen?"

Amber turned around to look behind her. "She was just here a minute ago," but her friend was nowhere to be seen. "She's probably too shy to come and say hi."

"She still has a crush on me?"

"Big time!" Amber replied.

Jacob wasn't supposed to know about the crush, but when Jen had tried to call Amber to talk to her about it, Jacob had been walking past Amber's room and had overheard.

Jacob chuckled and checked his watch. "Listen," he said, dropping to one of his knees so that he was eye level with Amber, "I wish I could stay longer, but I have to get back to campus; there's a track meet this afternoon and coach wants us there a couple of hours early."

"Okay," Amber said and she wrapped her arms around Jacob's neck, "Thanks for coming!"

Jacob returned the hug. "No problem!"

Getting to his feet, Jacob strolled to the opposite side of the reception hall where Cathie was standing, talking to a couple of other parents.

"I'm going to head out," Jacob said when he was within ear shot of his mother.

"Bye sweetie," Cathie said, "Thank you for coming."

Amber watched her brother walk out of the room and then searched for Jen. Suddenly, Jen appeared, as if she knew that Jacob was gone.

"Hey girl!" Jen said.

"Where were you, Jacob wanted to say hi," Amber said, watching with amusement as her friend's face turned bright red.

"Haha!" Jen said, "Very funny!"

"Girls?" Cathie asked, walking up to Jen and Amber, "Ready to go?"

"Yep!" Amber replied.

"Good, your father is getting impatient," Cathie said and she steered Amber and Jen over to the doors leading outside.

The white Camry was parked by the curb with the engine running, proving how impatient Drew was. Jen and Amber crawled into the backseat and immediately began talking as Drew pulled away from the curb and out onto the street.

"Alright," Jen said, "I brought a long a couple bottles of nail polish so that I can experiment with your nails-"

"Give it a rest, Jen," Amber said, "You can't turn me into a girl in one night."

"Oh this isn't going to be a one night thing, this is going to be years and years and years of hard work that is eventually going to be realized in the long run," Jen insisted.

Amber rolled her eyes and looked out the front windshield. At that moment, there was a screeching sound that filled the air; a car began to skid and spiral out of control, heading straight for the Camry.

"Dad!" Amber screamed a warning and Drew twisted the wheel sharply.

The Camry fishtailed across the road just as the out-of-control car slammed into the side of the car. There was a sickening sound of crunching metal and breaking glass. Amber covered her head with her hands and leaned forward. Something sharp sliced at her wrists, but her hands protected her neck. A white light flashed, blocking out everything else, then Amber felt nothing.


	4. Saved 5 Years Later

Amber slammed the front door open of the small apartment building and stormed out onto the dark streets. The house was part of a long row of apartment buildings, where each house opened up onto the streets.

"Baby, wait," a guy said, opening the door behind her and following her out, "I'm sorry."

He was unshaven and wearing a white tank-top with black boxers. He was holding a cigarette stub in his hand and a beer bottle in the other.

"Yeah, Austin, I'm sure," Amber replied striding out further onto the streets.

"Come back inside and we can talk about this," Austin insisted.

Amber turned back around and Austin's eyes grew hopeful, but Amber only reached out for the cigarette and took it out of his hands. "I'll call you when I damn well feel like talking," she said.

"It's the middle of the winter, you're going to freeze!"

"So?"

"You'll be coming back, baby," Austin said, "You live here."

"You're right, so leave the light on for me," Amber answered and she turned back around and hurried along down the street, taking a puff from the cigarette.

Amber was eighteen years old now. She had four ear piercings in one ear and a silver stud in her nose. She had been dying her hair jet black for the past three years now. She had stopped doing track and had dropped out of high school in 10th grade. She had moved in with her deadbeat boyfriend after she had dropped out of school and had cut off all contact with her brother. She got into fights often with Austin and would leave on the pretense of never coming back, but she would always be back by morning. Right now, she wore a strappy black top with a jean miniskirt, not suited for the winter temperature, but she really didn't care.

A small group of men, around four or five, were standing on the opposite side of the street near a dark building. They stopped talking and looked across the street at Amber. Some of them let out whoops and others called out to Amber. Amber didn't know any of the men so she continued walking, hurrying her pace a little. There was the sound of laughter and when Amber glanced over her shoulder she saw that the group had started crossing the street and were making their way towards her. Amber hurried her pace and ducked into a side alley. The moment she was in the darker alley way, she took off. The sounds of the men still pursuing her could be heard and she tried to hurry her pace, but the alley way was dark and she was having trouble seeing.

"Gottcha!" one of the men cried and he grabbed Amber and dragged her to the ground.

Amber screamed and tried to fight the man off her, but he was too strong for her. The man chuckled in excitement and his hands slid down Amber's body. Suddenly, the man was ripped off Amber and thrown across the alley. Amber turned her body and saw a strange outline in front of her, the outline of a girl. The girl's back was to Amber, so her facial expression was unknown, but her hands were clenched into fists and her whole body trembled.

"Who are you?" one of the men asked but the girl didn't answer.

There were still four men standing. _The girl is crazy for trying to stand up to them_, thought Amber.

"It's just a little kid, she can't be too hard to get rid of," another man said.

"Yeah," the third answered.

"Let's go," the fourth added.

The men walked slowly toward the girl, they were laughing, convinced the girl wasn't going to be able to stand a chance against all of them.

"Get out of here!" Amber screamed at the girl.

The girl moved, but not away from the men, instead, she ran directly at them. The men let out cries of surprise; they weren't expecting the girl to come at them deliberately. The girl reached one of the men in a couple of seconds and he hesitated in surprise. The girl used the opportunity to land in a hit square in the man's chest. To Amber's surprise, the man was thrown back several feet and crashed into a brick wall, cracking it. The other men hesitated and seemed to be thinking twice about attacking the girl. But, those thoughts didn't last long as they all came at her, trying to take her down with sheer numbers. But the girl was too fast for them and she avoided every one of their blows, adding in a few hits of her own here and there. Finally, the last man fell dead at the girl's feet.

The girl turned slightly to stare back at Amber. Her breathing was normal, giving no indication that she had just single handedly killed five men in less than three minutes. Without saying a word, the girl turned away from Amber and started walking towards the darker part of the alley.

"Wait!" Amber cried.

The girl didn't turn around, but continued to walk. Amber jumped to her feet and reached out for the girl's arm. Amber's hand closed around the girl's thin wrists and immediately pulled away in shock; the girl's skin was just as cold as the air around her. Before Amber could say anything, something large and strong slammed into her side, sending her flying across the alleyway. Lights danced across Amber's eyes as she hit the ground and a loud hiss rose up in the air. A strange creature, hidden by shadows, was making its way towards Amber. Something on it glistened and Amber realized with horror that it was the creature's teeth. She covered her face in fear and waited for the glittering fangs to reach her.

"No!" a voice commanded. The voice was raspy and scratchy, as if the owner hadn't used it in a long time.

Amber looked up to see the creature backing off and walking over to the girl. The girl reached up and hand and touched the creature's head. From the stress of being chased, from hitting her head, and the strange creature and girl, Amber could barely keep her eyes open and she willingly let unconsciousness overcome her.


	5. The Shadow Girl Revealed

* * *

When Amber awoke she found herself in a strange room. The walls, floors, and ceiling were covered in a strange resin looking substance that gave the room the ribbed appearance of the inside of an insect. The only object free of resin was the bed that Amber was lying on. The room was somehow lit up, but Amber could see no lights or holes that let in light. Using the light, she looked around the room and spotted the girl that had saved her sitting off to the side. In the light, Amber could finally see her appearance: she had long black hair that hung just below her shoulders, her eyes were dark blue, and her skin was deathly pale. She was wearing a pair of black bell-bottom jeans with a tight fitting long sleeved shirt and no shoes. Amber realized with discomfort that the girl's blue eyes were wide with curiosity and she kept them glued to Amber's face.

"What's your name?" Amber asked.

The girl continued to stare without saying a word. Finally, she responded, "Ali."

Amber recalled the voice earlier, just before she had passed out, calling off the mysterious creature and realized that it belonged to the little girl.

"My mother used to tell me stories about a shadow girl; I'm not sure if you'll remember, but you saved--,"

"Your mother, from those two men, when she was thirteen years old," the girl answered.

"How do you remember that?" Amber asked.

"I remember everything about everyone I save. I keep track of them and monitor their families, including you."

"You've been watching me? For how long?"

"Since you were born, but I've made you my top priority since the car accident," The girl answered.

"What?! You've been following me since the accident? That was, like, three years ago."

"I have every right to; you haven't been the same since your parents and friend died."

"You're a creeper, you know that?!" Amber shouted. She felt bubbling anger well up inside her; how dare this girl _stalk_ her?!

"No," the girl said without blinking, "I don't think I've been called that before."

Amber's anger evaporated in a flash. "What do you mean?"

"I've been called weirdo, freak, monster and mutant by just about everyone I've ever known from my childhood," the girl answered, "But I've never been called a creeper before."

"Why would anyone call you those things?" Amber asked.

"Because that's what they believed that I was."

"Didn't you have any friends to stand up for you?"

Ali laughed. "Friends? I used to have them, but they abandoned me."

"What about your parents?"

"Dead," Ali said in a deadpan voice. She sounded as if she didn't care, like parents didn't matter. "I had to live in an orphanage."

"How did they die?"

"I killed them."

"You killed them?" Amber asked in horror.

"My mother was literally, my father was figuratively."

"You killed your own mother?"

"Yes, according to the reports I found I was born in an unusual matter; I burst out of my mother's stomach."

"What? That's impossible," Amber said.

"Actually, if you like, I can tell you my whole story and it won't sound so impossible."

"Sure," Amber said after some hesitation.

Ali smiled. The smile wasn't sweet, but it had a slightly innocent appeal to it. Amber wondered quickly to herself what she got herself into as the Ali started to speak.


	6. A Dark Past

"As I said, I killed my mother by bursting out of her chest. Apparently she had already picked out a name for me before she was killed, so I was called Ali. According to the files that I stole, my father refused to come and pick me up at the hospital and I stayed there for three weeks. It turns out that my father had hung himself."

"How do you know that?" Amber interrupted.

Ali pointed towards a wall and Amber followed her gesture. The wall was covered in black and white newspaper clippings. Amber realized they were obituaries when she saw clippings about her father, mother, and Jen.

"Are those--?" she started to ask.

"The people I save and their family members who have died, yes," Ali answered, "plus my parents."

"Oh, so what did the hospital do with you?" Amber asked.

"I was brought to this orphanage and was raised here. I made quite a few friends and was pretty popular amongst the orphanage; everyone thought that I would get adopted. A couple of years went by and everything was normal for me. But, then, I reached the age of sixteen years old--."

Amber interrupted Ali again. "Wait, how long ago was this? I don't think I've ever seen an orphanage nearby our city before."

"That's because it's not all the way above ground anymore. There's about a quarter of it sticking out of the ground that has been converted into a grassy hill by nature. The rest of the building is underground. And to answer your question; this was about forty-five years ago."

"Forty-five? Years?"

"Yes," Ali answered calmly.

"But how is that possible?!"

"As I was saying before you interrupted me, when I reached the age of sixteen my body stopped growing completely."

"How?" Amber asked.

"I'm not entirely sure. At first it was hardly noticable. Most girls stopped growing around that age, so I didn't notice. But then I started noticing that, after three years, nothing about me had changed, not even my hair or nail lengths. The others started to realize that there was something different about me and that was the first time I was called a freak."

"I'm so sorry!" Amber said.

"And it only got worse," Ali said, "I became the target of bullies because they thought I was a freak; I would be covered in bruises every day."

"Why didn't the people running the orphanage do anything about it?" Amber asked.

"Because my bruises would disappear every night and it would be like I never had them. But, eventually, the bullying stopped."

"How?"

"I grew faster and was able to outrun them. But that's not the only thing that changed, my hearing had increased so much that I could hear conversations going on at opposite ends of the building and my sense of smell increased too. I think that's when they started calling me a weirdo."

Amber was almost dreading the answer to her next question. "When did they call you a monster?"

Ali gave a small smile. "I don't think you really want to know."

"No, I do," Amber answered.

"I may have broken a boy's entire jaw by just slapping him," Ali said.

"Well, that wasn't so bad," Amber said.

"After that incident I was kicked out of the orphanage because the people running it thought I was too dangerous to the other kids of the orphanage. I remember hating them all because they had abandoned me to the streets. But it wasn't long before I found a new friend. It unlike anything I had ever seen, but it didn't bother me because it was like we were both different. It looked like a large spider with a long, springy tail that could launch it far distances. I had found it in a back alley when I was walking alone one night and it had leapt at me. It landed on my shoulder and wrapped its tail around my arm to keep it in place. I was excited at first and I thought of it as a pet. However, two days later, it disappeared and I didn't know where it had gone. I decided to put my nose to good use and I tracked it a couple of houses near where I slept at night and I went into the house to get it.

"Imagine my surprise when I found my pet grasping the face of a young man, its tail wrapped loosely around the man's neck. It seemed unaware of my presence and so I moved closer to get a better look. Its fingers were holding the man's face tightly and its sides were moving up and down, as if pumping air. I was confused as to what it was doing, but then, right before my eyes, my pet released the man and fell to the ground. It landed on its back and its little legs curled in on its body and I knew that it was dead. I took its body back to where I was currently 'living' and gave it a little burial. Then I went back to the man's house to make sure he didn't try and call the cops after what had happened to him. I didn't go into the house, the man was awake, but I watched from the window. However, the man didn't seem to give any indication that he had remembered being attacked. He just kept watching TV and rubbing his neck. I waited and waited, but it was when the man was eating his dinner that the waiting proved worthwhile."

"What do you mean?" Amber asked.

"About halfway through his dinner he started to have some sort of fit. His body started shaking and he seemed to be choking. He fell to the floor and started flailing around. At that moment, I entered through the window to get a closer look as to what was happening. Suddenly, the man's chest jerked, as if something inside was trying to break its way out. That happened twice before there was a loud cracking and the man's chest burst open and something crawled out of it. It was fleshy pink without eyes and it had a tail and no arms. I guess you could call it an alien, that's the only thing I could think of when I first saw it. Anyway, the alien jumped down off the man's chest and crawled over to me and rubbed up against my legs and made a noise that sounded like purring."

"Like a cat?" Amber asked.

Ali smiled. "Sure, you could say that."

"So what happened after that?"

"I named it Timothy and he became my only friend. He became full grown in a matter of hours and it was then that I decided it was time for revenge."

"You were going to take revenge?!"

"Of course! You don't think that I would start off as trying to protect people? At first all I could think about was revenge. I came back here with Timothy and killed everyone here."

"Everyone?"

"Sure, why would I spare anyone? They all felt the same way about me."

"So you're telling me, that where I'm sitting, someone died?" Amber asked, looking with horror at the ground.

"No, no, I killed them all upstairs; no one was down in the basement."

"So why are you still here? And when did you decide to help people?"

"I decided to make this my permanent home because I knew that no one would come around here anymore. The government decided it was best to keep this a secret from the city so they tore it down, but I was able to keep the basement intact. Now, to answer your question about helping people: simple reason is that revenge was not rewarding. I felt emptiness after I killed everyone and it just wasn't satisfactory. I knew that I would never be accepted in the world so I decided that I would live in the shadowy parts of the world. I try to help people to make up for being thought of as a monster, killing the bad and sparing the innocent; I never harm the innocent. Most of the time, those I save forget about me, but your mother was the only one who actually remembered me and thought about me on a regular basis."

Amber thought about the stories her mother used to tell her about the shadowy girl and how she looked after the world. Of course, her mother had tweaked the plot a bit and made it so that the shadow girl was a magical deity who was the protector of the civilizations on all the other planets.

"Well," Amber said after a moment of silence. "Thank you for sharing in your story, but I really do have to be going, I don't want Austin to get worried."

"I'm sorry," Ali said, although her eyes reflected an opposite emotion, "I'm afraid you can't leave yet."

"What are you talking about?!" Amber demanded.

"You can't leave until the police stop searching for me."

"And how long will that be?"

Ali shrugged. "Weeks, maybe months."

"Months?! You expect me to stay here, underground, for months?!"

"Yes," Ali answered. Her answer told Amber that she had already made up her mind and wasn't going to change it. "The police are already investigating. I would normally kill people like the ones that attacked you, but that was drawing the police's attention. Naturally, they wouldn't ever find me and they would eventually drop the search. But it's annoying; they get in the way and make it harder for me to move around the streets at night. That's why I have to resort to simply knocking attackers unconscious so their victims can escape. But I killed the five men that were chasing you which means the police will be all over this case, certain this time that they can catch me. I can't have you wandering into a police station and telling them exactly where I'm hiding."

"You can trust me," Amber insisted.

"No I can't. I don't trust anyone."

"Why are you protecting people then, if you can't trust them?"

"Because I don't have to trust them to save their lives. I keep my face in shadows when I rescue them so they don't see what I look like."

"Why don't you trust people?"

"Were you listening to my story?! The girls that had promised to be my best friend forever were among those that called me a freak and started hating me. I don't trust anyone," Ali repeated.

"Well," Amber said, "Just try and stop me. You aren't going to hurt me because you liked my mother so much and you already told me that you don't hurt innocent people."

She started to make her way to the only opening in the wall, but a hiss stopped her in her tracks. A section of the wall seemed to shift and a creature rose to from its hiding place to block the exit. It was the same creature as before, but with the light shining, Amber was able to see it clearly: it was dark blue in color and walked on two feet, standing about eight feet tall. On its back were four dorsal spikes and it had a long barbed tail that swung back and forth. Its head was the most frightening aspect: it was long, smooth, and curved and had a mouth full of glistening, silvery teeth. It hissed and opened its mouth and a second mouth full of sharp teeth snapped out quickly, inches from Amber's face.

"Unfortunately," Ali said from behind Amber, "Timothy has no problem killing anyone that could possibly endanger my life."


	7. Out in the Open

* * *

Amber backed away from the exit and the creature and moved back to the bed she had been sitting on. "That's Timothy?"

"Yeah, what did you expect?" Ali asked.

"Well, you never did tell me what he looked like," Amber replied.

Ali got up and walked over to the alien. Timothy hissed in a loving way and rubbed its head against Ali.

"How-?" Amber started to say.

"What?" Ali asked, turning to face her.

"How can something like that not be dangerous?"

"Oh, he is. Timothy is extremely dangerous to pretty much everybody but me."

"Why's that?"

"Remember earlier when you asked how it was possible that I could burst out of my mother's chest?" Amber simply nodded and Ali continued, "Well, Timothy was born in the same way, bursting out of his host's chest."

"So you're trying to tell me, that you're similar to this creature?"

"No, I'm trying to tell you that I'm just like Timothy. He has heightened senses, so do I, his body matches the temperature of the air around it, making him hard to be tracked, so do I, and he has acid for blood, so do I—,"

"Wait, what?! You have _acid_ for blood?!" Amber asked.

"Yeah, didn't I mention that in my story?" Ali asked. Amber shook her head. "Well, I do. Here, let me show you."

Ali didn't wait for Amber to respond; she stuck her pointer finger out and pointed her fingernail towards the fleshy underside of her arm. It was at that moment that Amber realized Ali's nails were black in color and extremely sharp. Ali touched the tip of her nail to her skin and applied minimal pressure. The skin broke and a drop of almost black blood appeared on Ali's skin. It clung to the tip of her fingernail as she pulled her finger away. Then, with a smile, she flicked the drop of blood towards Amber.

Amber cried out and leaned to the side, but Ali had obviously not been aiming for her, because the blood drop missed her by several inches and landed on the mattress of the bed. The mattress began sizzling and bubbling as Ali's blood burned through it all the way to the floor.

"As I was saying," Ali continued, as if nothing had happened, "I can also understand what Timothy is saying."

"Okay, okay, wait; hold on, you said that your body temperature matches the air around you, right?" Amber asked.

"Yes."

"Then why do you wear pants and long sleeves, especially black?"

Ali pulled up the sleeve to expose her arm; her skin was so pale that it seemed to glow against the black clothes. "Too much skin shows if I wear anything shorter and I'm spotted a mile away; this is the only way that I can move freely at night and avoid detection."

Amber sighed. "This is too much for me! I'm not going to be able to survive months down here, I'd go insane!"

"Stop whining, it's not that bad!" Ali said.

"Of course not, to you, this is home. But I don't belong here!" Amber said, "I need fresh air and I need to be able to move around."

"Fine, if you're so worried about fresh air, you can come with me when I wander around at night," Ali said.

"You mean spying on people?"

"No, just scouting," Ali replied.

"I suppose that if I do come with you, you're not going to let me out of your sight?"

"No, I could care less what you do while I'm out, just keep in mind that if you _do_ try to run, Timothy will kill you long before you have a chance to go far," Ali said.

Amber nodded, too scared to say anything.

Suddenly, Ali's face brightened. "Alright, come on."

"Now?"

"Sure, I go out every night," Ali answered, "Why? Do you need to get ready or something?"

"No," Amber said, realizing Ali was being sarcastic, "I'm ready."

"Good, follow me," Ali said.

She turned and walked towards the exit of room, Timothy vanishing ahead of her, and Amber followed hesitantly behind; slightly afraid of what the rest of the orphanage looked like. However, the rest of the building wasn't much different from the room she was in; the walls were completely covered in the resin, giving the whole place the appearance of the insides of some dead insect. Amber also came to the conclusion that if she was alone in here, she would be completely lost.

"How much further?" Amber asked.

"We're almost there," Ali said, and, suddenly, she was gone.

"Ali?" Amber asked and she neared the area where Ali had disappeared.

"Yes?" Ali asked, popping out right next to Amber's face.

Amber shrieked and jumped back.

"Sorry," Ali said, "this way."

She vanished again, but this time, Amber could see a hole cleverly hidden in the wall.

"Why are you hiding the entrance?" Amber asked once she was through and out into the open air again.

"So if someone _does_ find their way inside, they wouldn't be able to get out," Ali replied.

Amber looked around the dark park, she would never have guessed it was night when she was inside the orphanage. "How do you--?"

"Know it's night?" Ali finished for her.

"Yeah."

Ali shrugged. "I just can sense it."

"So this is all you do? Walk around?"

"What did you expect?"

"How do you know if someone needs help?" Amber asked.

"I can hear them," Ali said, "Remember how I told you that my hearing increased? I can hear the frantic sounds of a person's heartbeat, as well as their hurried footsteps—,"

"Ali?" Amber asked as Ali froze and went silent.

Ali didn't respond, but remained as still as a statue. Finally, after a couple of seconds she spoke, "Someone's in trouble."

She took off down the dark streets. Amber was forced to follow because Timothy was staring at her with a hungry expression and she assumed that if she didn't follow, he would kill her right on the spot. Following Ali was much harder than Amber thought, the small girl was flitting in and out of the shadows and Amber was having a hard time seeing her move from one area to another. Timothy eventually got tired of Amber's hesitant pace so he moved in front of her to guide her better through the alleys. While they were walking, Amber couldn't help but think of ways to escape. She decided to go to Austin's house if she could get away; he would be worried about her by now. She was so intent on planning her escape that she wasn't paying attention and smacked into Timothy. Timothy hissed in aggravation and turned on Amber. Amber backed away slowly and Timothy seemed to relax. Suddenly, Timothy turned around and streaked off, disappearing in the blackness. Amber started to move forward to try and catch up when she realized that this was her chance. She turned around and ran in the opposite direction.


	8. Hunters

Amber banged on the front door, shooting nervous glances over her shoulder. It opened slowly and she found herself staring up at Austin.

"Austin!" Amber started to say.

"So you finally decided to come home," Austin said, "But you know what? What if I don't want you here anymore?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Maybe I'm just sick and tired of you running off every other night and then coming back to _my_ apartment and expecting a welcome!"

Amber threw a quick glance over her shoulder. "Please, I have a good reason, just let me in!"

Austin sighed and rubbed a hand across the stubble on his chin. "Fine, come in."

"Thank you," Amber said breathlessly and hurried into the building, shutting the door behind her.

"Would you mind telling me what's going on?!" Austin demanded as Amber hurried into the living room.

"Give me a sec," Amber said and she crossed through the living room to enter the small bedroom that she shared with Austin, shutting the door behind her.

She took off her mini-skirt and replaced it with a pair of blue jeans and took off her black top in exchange for a tight fitting, long sleeved shirt. She topped off the look with a plain white sweatshirt.

"Amber?" Austin asked through the door.

"I'm coming," Amber said and she opened the door.

"Just tell me what's going on before I kick you out of this house!" Austin said.

Amber could see that he was about to lose his temper so she quickly started off. "I doubt you'll believe me, but just let me tell you everything before you start questioning me."

Austin sat down on the couch and gave a gesture with his hands. "Go."

Amber lowered herself down into the couch next to Austin and launched into her tale, starting where she had left Austin's house and was rescued by Ali to where she had escaped.

"So then, as Timothy darted off, I turned around and made my way back to your house," Amber finished.

Austin hadn't moved or made any noise while Amber told her tale and even after she finished, he continued to stare at her. Finally he blinked and leaned forward.

"You're telling me that everything you just told me is true?" he asked.

"Yes!" Amber said, "That's what I'm trying to tell you."

"You _are_ listening to yourself, right, you hear how this sounds?"

"I know it sounds crazy and impossible," Amber said.

"Yes, it does sound a little impossible and incredibly crazy!"

"Please, you have to believe me, she's probably figured out that I'm gone, I need help--!"

Suddenly, the front door smashed in, sending bits of wood flying everywhere and filling the air with a cloud of dust. Amber looked toward the dust cloud and saw a shadowy figure stepping through the shattered remains. The chilling hiss was what clued Amber in to what was standing in the shattered doorway; Timothy. Suddenly, Timothy darted forward and shot passed Amber and a horrible scream filled the air. Amber spun around to see that Timothy had Austin pinned to the ground. Austin struggled to free himself, but Timothy had a firm grip on him and kept him from moving.

"No!" Amber screamed and she ran towards Timothy.

Timothy hissed and his long tail swung out, connecting with Amber's chest and sending her flying across the house. Amber staggered slowly to her feet and started to make another attempt to pull Timothy off.

"Stop," a calm voice said and Amber turned around to see Ali standing on the shattered doorframe.

"Don't kill him! Please don't kill him," Amber begged falling to her knees.

"We were planning on sparing him," Ali said but Timothy let out a hiss so she rephrased, "_I _was going to spare him, but you went ahead and told him everything about me."

"He wasn't going to tell anyone! He wasn't even going to believe me!" Amber pleaded.

"Sorry, but you should have thought ahead before you spilled my secrets," Ali replied calmly.

Timothy hissed in satisfactory and opened his mouth. His inner mouth shot out with speed and strength, plunging deep into Austin's head and shooting out the other side, splattering the walls with blood. Amber screamed in horror as Austin's head thudded against the ground limply and Timothy stepped off his body. She made her way over to Austin's lifeless form and placed her head against his chest.

"Come on, we have to get moving," Ali said.

"I'm not coming with you," Amber said in a quiet voice.

"It's either that or you die," Ali replied.

"Why are you doing this? You told me you spared the innocent."

"And I do," Ali said, "But I also do what I have to do so that my existence remains a secret."

"So if I decided not to go with you, would you kill me?" Amber asked.

Ali's hands twitched. "I'd rather not; your mother always had a close spot in my heart which is why I took such an interest in making sure you stayed safe."

"Well, you're just going to have to kill me, because I'm _not_ coming back with you!"

Ali opened her mouth to respond, when, suddenly, Timothy hissed and ran out of the destroyed house. Ali looked over her shoulder as Timothy disappeared out into the street. Her eyes widened and she darted forward, grabbing Amber in a vice-like grip and dragged her out into the streets.

"I already told you, I don't want to come with you anymore!" Amber said, trying to pull away from Ali.

Ali released Amber's wrist and clamped an icy-cold hand over Amber's mouth. "Shut up! Your life is in even more danger now," she whispered.

Amber tried to shake of Ali's hand, but her grip was too strong so she settled on talking through Ali's hand. "What are you talking about?"

"Timothy said that he sensed something approaching," Ali said as she slowly pulled her hand away from Amber's mouth, "I've never seen him this freaked out about anything."

Ali steered Ali through the streets until she spotted Timothy and made her way towards the alien. Timothy was pacing back and forth across the narrow street, spitting and hissing at something down the way. Ali released Amber and moved next to Timothy. Timothy stopped pacing as Ali placed a hand on the alien's back. He issued a long and low hiss which caused Ali to jump and take a step back.

"What is it?" Amber asked in a whisper. She didn't know why she was whispering except that it seemed like the right thing to do.

Ali didn't answer as a bright flash of light lit up from in the sky. Two beams of light streaked across the sky and landed a short distance away, sending huge shock waves across the ground. Amber was nearly blown off her feet, except Ali's hand had shot out to clamp around Amber's wrist, holding her in place.

"What the hell was that?!" Amber asked.

Timothy hissed again and Ali translated. "He calls them the ancient enemy. It's a hunter that enjoys hunting his kind."

"How could he know that if he was born on Earth?" Amber asked.

"There is a term for it, when an animal can automatically sense when something is dangerous or not, simply because it has been burned into its memory through evolution."

"Instinct?" Amber asked.

"Yes."

"So, whatever that was that crashed here, it's Timothy's natural enemy?"

"That's correct."

"That wouldn't mean that it's incredibly hard to beat, would it?"

"Possibly," Ali replied.

"Great," Amber said.

"You should get out of here now," Ali said, "If they come this way, you'd only get in my way."

"I thought you weren't going to let me leave your sight."

"I don't have time to argue with you, Amber, get out of here now, or you will die!" Ali turned around to shout at Amber and as she did there was a large explosion that shook the ground and sent a huge cloud of dust in the air.

Amber was knocked off her feet and smacked her head against the concrete. Black stars danced in front of her eyes as she slowly got into a sitting position. There was a groan nearby and Amber looked over to see that Ali had been thrown by the explosion as well and was getting shakily to her feet.

"You okay?" Ali asked.

"Fine," Amber replied.

"Good, now let's get out of here."

There was a shriek and Timothy flew out of the smoke and over Ali and Amber and smashing into a building. Ali tensed her body as two tall, shadowy figures appeared in the cloud.


	9. Taken

* * *

"What's going on?" Amber asked, "What _are_ those things?!"

"As I said, they are Timothy's natural enemy, but that's about all I know about them."

"So what do you suggest we do?"

"Run!" Ali replied and she grabbed Amber's hand and dragged her down to the street.

Ali pulled Amber down a dark street, making her way back to the park with Timothy in hot pursuit. Amber was too busy trying to keep her balance to argue and allowed herself to be dragged by Ali. Suddenly, there was a loud explosion and a building in front of them came crashing down, dropping debris down and blocking off their escape. The three of them spun around to face the two creatures, getting their first full view of them.

They were taller than any normal human, although the one on the right was slightly taller than the one on the left, and wore silver armor that protected most of their bodies. They had strange long dreadlocks and it was hard to tell if they were actual hair, or just an accessory. Two barbed spikes on box-like devices rested on both of their arms. There were also various other devices and gadgets the creatures wore as well as silver masks. The two creatures were both tilting their heads to the sides, studying the small group. Ali moved slowly, never taking her eyes off the creatures, so that she was right next to Timothy.

Timothy leaned down and Ali whispered close to his face, "Get Amber back to the shelter." Timothy hissed. "I don't have time to argue with you! Just do it!"

Timothy hissed again, but moved behind Amber, giving her a bump with his head.

"Wait, I won't leave you here!" Amber tried to protest.

"You're not going to stand a chance against those _things_, get on Timothy now!"

Amber opened her mouth to protest again, but Ali clenched her hand in a fist and brought it down on Amber's head. Amber's eyes rolled back into her head and she fell forward. Ali caught her and situated her so that she was lying on Timothy's back. Timothy gave another hiss and rubbed his head to Ali's cheek before scaling up the wall of debris and vanishing on the other side.

The two creatures hadn't moved as Timothy vanished over the top of the barrier, they still had their gazes fixated on Ali. Ali wasn't sure exactly what it was that held their interest, but she didn't think it mattered; they wouldn't last long enough to tell her.

Suddenly, the creature on the left pulled out a somewhat small disk-like object. It held the object at arm's length from its body and five serrated blades extended from the disk. The creature threw the object towards Ali, but she was able to get out of the way easily and the disk flew by her. She smiled, but her smile quickly faded when she heard the sound of something slicing through the air. She quickly dropped to the ground and the disk sailed over her head and returned to the creature's hand.

_So it's like a boomerang?_ Ali thought. That meant that she couldn't underestimate these creatures; they clearly had experience with advanced weaponry.

Then, the creature on the right pulled out a small staff. But, with a single gesture, the staff extended into a two meter spear. The creature threw the spear with all its strength and it was all too easily avoided by Ali. However, when Ali looked over her shoulder, she was shocked to see the spear buried halfway into a large piece of broken building. It was at that moment that Ali realized they weren't actually aiming to kill her, she was sure that she'd already be dead if they were, however, they seemed to be testing her; seeing if she was worthy or something.

She looked to her left and spotted a small alleyway. Before they could fire off more weapons she took off to her left, heading for the alleyway; they were her strong points since she spent most of her time in them during the night. The sound of heavy footsteps behind her urged her faster. However, as she ran, she noticed something odd; there was only one set of footsteps. The other creature wasn't following her, only one was. She glanced over her shoulder to confirm this and had to duck a second later to avoid the energy blast coming from an area above the creature's shoulder. She then turned her attention back to the path in front of her, planning on leading the creature into a trap.

Suddenly, an energy blast came from in front of Ali and she had to completely fall to the ground to avoid the hit. Before she could get back up, the taller creature grabbed her by her shirt and flung her into a wall. She crashed into it, leaving a deep crater, and sank to the ground. She blinked several times and struggled to her feet. Both creatures were closing in on her, leaving her with little options of escape. The creature that had spoken suddenly reached out, grabbing Ali around the throat, and slammed her back into the wall. Her head thudded against the brick wall and she sagged, blacking out.


	10. The Ship

* * *

"I'm sure she'll be coming back any minute," Amber said for the fifth time.

She was holed up inside Ali's hideout with Timothy pacing in front of her. About fifteen minutes ago, Timothy had decided that Ali was overdue and had taken to pacing back and forth near the exit in anticipation. Amber had tried to comfort the restless alien in case it made an attempt to take out its frustration on her. But Timothy had made no moves to attack her; he appeared to be honoring Ali's wish. However, he would snap at her with his second mouth every time she tried to calm him down.

Suddenly, from above, there was a loud buzzing sound that grew louder and louder. Timothy stiffened and raised its upper lip, flashing silver teeth. He turned to Amber and began gesturing with its head toward the exit.

"What is it?" Amber asked.

Timothy let out a hiss of aggravation, moved behind Amber, and nipped at her back. Amber jumped up and away from Timothy. Timothy hissed in response and nipped at Amber again. Finally, Amber got the picture and moved toward the exit. Timothy followed behind her and helped guide her out of the Hive.

When Amber climbed out of the hidden entrance first she immediately saw what was making the strange buzzing; a giant spaceship was coming in slowly toward the ground. Standing beneath it, waiting, were the two creatures that had attacked them. One of the creatures was holding something in its arms and, as the spaceship grew closer, the lights illuminated the thing in the creature's arms; it was Ali.

"No!" Amber said quietly.

Timothy was still behind her, not quite out of the Hive entrance, and he hissed in confusion. Amber tried to stay inside the Hive as best as she could to avoid being seen by the creatures, but Timothy pushed her out of the way and climbed out of the Hive. He hissed in fury when he saw Ali in the arms of the creature and his body braced to pounce. Moving quickly, Amber grabbed the alien around its torso and dug her heels into the ground. Timothy turned and snapped at her, fighting to break free.

"You can't save her yet!" Amber tried to say in a loud whisper.

But Timothy ignored her and began walking toward the ship, dragging Amber along despite her feet gouging into the ground.

"Look," Amber said, trying again, "If you attack them right now, there's a good chance they would kill you." Timothy hissed as if to say "so?" so Amber continued. "If you died, think of how much that would crush Ali!" That stopped Timothy. "If we sneak on the ship quietly and rescue Ali before this ship leaves our atmosphere, it would be a lot easier and a lot safer."

Timothy thought for a moment and then nodded to Amber. Amber sighed with relief, glad to have stopped Timothy. She then focused her attention on getting on to the ship without being detected. Suddenly, there was a loud _whoosh _of air and Amber looked up. Nearby, at the base of the ship, there was an air vent that was sending a jet stream of air out.

"This way," Amber said.

Timothy looked toward the direction of her gaze and saw the air vent. He hissed and offered his back to Amber. Amber hobbled up quickly and Timothy moved toward the air vent, squeezing in just before the vent closed.

**A/N: Short chapter, sorry guys, the next one will be longer!**

**~Ali Wenstern**


	11. Na’sval

* * *

Ali opened her eyes slowly to find herself in a strange prison cell; three lightly brown colored solid walls and a forth wall of bars. She rose slowly to sit up straight on the small cot. However, as she scanned the room, she realized the cot was the only piece of furniture in the room. She groaned as the blood rushed to her head and a spot at the back of her head throbbed.

Suddenly, there was the sound of heavy footsteps, adding to Ali's headache. A moment later, one of the creatures rounded the corner and made its way to Ali's cell. She recognized the creature as the one how had captured her; the shorter one. She rose slowly to her feet and made her way to the bars and waited for the creature to come within several inches of her.

"So…you gonna say anything?" Ali asked.

The creature cocked its head to the side.

"You got a name?" Ali asked.

The creature continued to stare at her.

"Whatever, don't say anything," Ali said and she walked toward the back corner of her cell.

"Na'sval."

The voice was harsh and had a clicking ring behind it. Ali turned around and stared at the creature in shock.

"My name is Na'sval," the creature said again, "Yours?"

"Ali. You speak English?"

"I do."

Ali walked back to the bars of her cell. "Well if you don't mind me asking, what the hell are you?"

"I am a Yautja," Na'sval said.

"And what is that?"

"A race of elite hunters that prove ourselves worthy by hunting prey that creates a challenge for us."

"Like me?" Ali asked.

"Pyode amedha, meaning oomans, and kainde amedha, meaning hard-meat, mostly, but anything that proves a worthy hunt," Na'sval answered.

"So your species speak English?"

"No."

"Then why can you?"

"I have allied myself with oomans in the past and I consider them comrades. They taught me their language."

"Then why do you hunt humans, if you are allied with them?"

"Not all of them, only some. Yautja hunt with honor. The oomans that taught me their language have proven themselves worthy and I consider them comrades."

Ali crossed her arms. "So why am I still alive?"

Na'sval hesitated before answering. "Your DNA is unique to ordinary ooman DNA."

"You mean the alien part of it?" Ali asked, "That's why you're keeping me alive?!"

"Yes," Na'sval answered, "You're strange and we wanted to study you. That's why we took blood samples."

"What?!" Ali cried and she pulled up the sleeve on her arm. There were three small pinpricks in the middle of her arm. "Why three holes?" she asked.

"The first needle was destroyed by your thwei, blood like the hard meats."

"And the second two times?" Ali asked.

"The more samples, the better," Na'sval replied.

"The better for what?"

Na'sval hesitated again. "To clone."

"_Clone_?!"

"The others have decided that more upgraded oomans such as yourself would make for a more interesting hunt."

"You're going to clone more like me so you can hunt them?!"

Na'sval turned his gaze away from Ali's piercing eyes.

"Hey!" Ali said, "Answer me!"

"Yes."

With that said, Na'sval turned and walked away, leaving Ali alone in her cell.


	12. A Helping Hand

* * *

"Okay," Amber said, hopping out of the ventilation shaft and waiting for Timothy to join her, "Can you find Ali in this place?"

Timothy dropped down after Amber. He nodded and hissed, scanning his head back and forth. He did this for several seconds before turning to one end of the hall way and taking off. Amber followed behind quickly after him, trying not to fall behind. All the time she was running, she was worried about running into more of the creatures that had taken Ali, but the hallways were deserted.

"How much further?" Amber asked after about ten minutes.

Suddenly, Timothy came to a skidding halt in front of a wall of bars. He began hissing in affection and rubbed his face up against the bars. A hand appeared from behind the bars and Ali came out of the shadows.

"Timothy," she said lovingly, "How did you get here?"

"I helped him," Amber said, coming forward.

"Why?" Ali asked.

"I'm returning the favor," Amber answered.

"How were you planning on getting me out?"

Amber looked around at the bars, searching for a keypad or a lock combination of some kind, but there was nothing there. Timothy hissed and bumped Amber out of the way and took a position in front of the bars. Ali was momentarily confused, but then she stepped back quickly. Amber started to ask, but before she could, Timothy sliced at the bars with his claws. Sparks flew through the air and there was a loud clattering. A second later, Ali ducked underneath the severed ends of the bars.

Suddenly, there was a loud rumbling sound and the ship shuddered for a second.

"What was that?" Amber asked.

"The ship is moving," Ali said, "I can feel it vibrating."

Amber looked down at her feet and tried to feel the ship moving beneath her, but it felt still to her. She was about to ask Ali how she knew that, but caught herself; Ali had her alien senses.

"Wait, does that mean the ship is leaving?!" Amber asked.

"Yeah, we need to leave, now!"

"How?"

"Follow me," Ali replied and she ran off down the hallway.

They weren't running for more than five minutes when a loud wail filled the air. Ali came to a skidding halt and clamped her hands to her ears, shuddering in pain. Timothy, too, twisted sharply in pain. Even though it wasn't that loud, to her, Amber knew it was agony for Ali and Timothy.

"What can I do?" she asked.

"Nothing you can do," Ali replied shakily.

"Well, do you need me to support you, or something?"

Ali didn't respond. Suddenly, her head shot up and she grabbed Amber by the arm, yanking her to the ground. Amber's head whipped back as she was pulled down and she gasped in pain. However, a second later, a strange projectile whizzed over Amber's head and flew down the corridor behind them.

"Sorry," Ali said, as Amber rubbed the back of her neck.

"It's okay; I would rather have a little neck pain than lose my whole head!" Amber said with a small chuckle.

"This isn't a joking matter; we're in a lot of trouble here!" Ali said, "I think they're more concerned on killing this time instead of incapacitating."

Amber gulped and looked to her right down the hall, but it was empty. "Where did it come from?"

"I don't know, but we're in trouble; stay close to me," Ali said, getting to her feet.

The wailing was still going on, but she seemed to be ignoring it as she took a step forward, planting herself in front of Amber. Timothy stopped shaking and rose to his feet, joining Ali. Amber looked down the hallway just as a shadowy figure appeared at the end. It moved forward, but made no attempt to attack, in fact, it seemed curious. Ali squinted her eyes, studying the figure at the end of the hall, before taking a step forward.

"Na'sval?" she called out.

"Who?" Amber asked.

In response, the creature stepped forward again, but came to a stop when Timothy let out a hiss.

"Timothy, wait," Ali said and she took several steps forward. Timothy growled his disapproval, but didn't move. Ali took another step forward and called out again. "Na'sval?"

"Ali," came the response down at the end of the hall.

The creature moved closer.

Timothy hissed as Ali took another step forward, but Ali reached out a hand to stroke the alien's head. "Give me a minute, I know that one."

"How?" Amber asked.

"He was one of the ones that capture me," Ali said and Timothy hissed, "But he also came to see me when I was in my cell. He doesn't seem like he fits in with the others."

"What is he?"

"A Yautja, a hunter."

"And how is he different from the other hunters?"

"He's befriended humans before."

"Is he going to help us?"

"Yes," Na'sval said, coming closer again.

"Why?" Ali asked.

"Because not only did the oomans teach me their language, they also taught me to see value in life," Na'sval said.

"I don't understand; you're a hunter, that's what you were born to do."

"There are also oomans on your planet that were born to hunt, yet they know when something should be set free."

"It's true," Amber said, surprising herself that she was siding with the hunter. "When humans have an animal that is rare they set it free."

"But _I'm _not an animal!" Ali said.

"But you are rare," Na'sval said, "Your ooman friend is correct."

"So you'll help me escape?" Ali asked.

"Yes."

"Won't you get in trouble?"

"I doubt it, my Elder knows of my interaction with oomans and he finds it acceptable."

"But," Ali said, "You're helping their prize escape."

"Let me deal with it then," Na'sval replied.

Suddenly, the wailing alarm stopped, leaving a slight ringing in Amber's ears.

"They're coming this way," Na'sval said, "You must get to the escape pods either before they catch us or before the ship is too far away from Earth."

"How long until that?"

Na'sval looked at a display on his arm. "Five minutes."

"That's not a lot of time, you better lead the way," Ali said.

Na'sval nodded and pointed to a hallway to the left. "This way."


	13. Crash Landing

* * *

"There, see it?" Na'sval asked, pointing to an area ahead.

Amber squinted down to the end of the hallway and saw what looked like a pair of sliding doors.

"Those are the escape pods," Na'sval said.

"How big are they?" Amber asked.

"Big enough for a Yautja to fit in," Na'sval said, "One should be able to hold all three of you if you squeezed in."

"We'll take it," Ali said.

Suddenly, a blast of energy came from the end of the hall, shooting straight for the group. Amber cried out and covered her head as Ali jumped in front of her to protect her. But, just before the ball of energy reached them, a second one collided with it and they both exploded, causing little damage.

Amber looked over her shoulder to see Na'sval with a cannon-like gun on his shoulder. The entire lip of the gun was red and smoldering, meaning whatever came out of it was very hot. Na'sval looked down at Amber and Ali.

"Go! I will hold them off for you!" he said.

Ali was about to argue, but Amber grabbed her by the arm. "He's one of them! They're not going to kill their own kind."

"Humans do it all the time," Ali replied.

"But they're not humans. Please, Na'sval is trying to help us," Amber said.

Ali sighed and allowed Amber to pull her towards the double doors.

"Open it by hitting that key pad on the right, first button," Na'sval called to them once they reached the doors.

Amber was the one to press it and the door opened with a hiss. Na'sval was right, the space was semi-roomy, but it was still going to be a tight fit.

"Once you're inside it'll be automatic; the pod will take you down to Earth, the nearest planet," Na'sval said.

Ali hesitated stepping inside.

"What's the matter?" Amber asked, "Get in!"

"Confined spaces have always made me nervous," Ali said.

"It'll be alright, we won't be in there that long!" Amber said.

She moved around Ali and stepped inside the pod first. Ali sighed, but followed in after. Timothy was the last one in and he had to position himself carefully so as not to harm either Ali or Amber. Once they were all inside, the doors started to close. Amber could hear the sound of running and, just as the doors closed, a cry of pain.

There was a second pause before, suddenly, the pod dropped and was expelled from the ship. Amber's insides tightened up as the pod plummeted; she had never liked rollercoaster rides when she was younger. Just as she was wondering how long the drop was going to last, the pod slowed slightly before crashing into the ground. The impact jarred Amber's teeth and her head jerked back. After a second, the door behind Amber opened and she fell back onto grassy ground. She got to her feet as Timothy and Ali crawled out of the pod. It was dark out, the only light coming from a street lamp a short distance away.

"Where are we?" she asked.

Ali looked around for a second and then pointed. "That's my home."

Amber turned and started walking towards the Hive, but Ali turned and started walking the other way.

"Where are we going?" Amber asked, looking back at the hill with the hidden entrance to Ali's Hive.

"Just follow me," Ali said.

Ali led the way for most of the night. When she finally stopped, the sun had begun to appear above the horizon.

"Where are we?" Amber asked, having not spoken for the entire trek.

"Take a look for yourself," Ali answered, gesturing to the rows of apartment buildings.

Amber followed her hand and studied the apartment complex they were standing in front of. She had to squint because it had been so long since she was here, but Amber steadily recognized where she was. Once she did, she felt her heart grow heavy and it was suddenly hard to breath.


	14. Home

* * *

"How did you know he lived here?" Amber asked, on the verge of tears.

"You think you were the only one trying to deal with your parents' deaths?" Ali asked.

"No, but--?"

"Plus," Ali interjected, "He had it a little harder than you, not only did he lose his parents, but he lost his little sister. When I wasn't watching you I spent my time watching him. It's been really hard for him, he's seen at least five different counselors."

Amber hung her head in shame, she had known from the moment she had said good-bye to Jacob at their parent's funeral that leaving was going to cause her brother pain, but she had no idea it was that intense.

"So why are we here?" Amber asked.

"I'm letting you go," Ali said.

"Why?"

"You saved my life; this is my way of repaying you. I trust you enough to know that you won't turn me in to the authorities. Just promise me one thing."

"What?" Ali asked.

"Don't forget me."

Amber nodded her head slowly before looking at the front door. "I don't know if I can do this."

"You can," Ali said, "And don't worry about him not accepting you, he's been waiting for you to come home."

Amber took a deep breath, knowing Ali was right, and walked up to the front door. She knocked three times and stepped back to wait. A moment later the door opened slightly and a young girl with blonde hair stuck her head out.

"Hi, is Jacob here?" Amber asked.

"Yeah, one sec," the girl said and she disappeared behind the door, "Dad!" she bellowed.

"What is it?" a familiar voice called out from inside the house.

"Someone's here to see you," the girl bellowed back.

A moment later the door opened wider and Jacob appeared. His eyes widened when he saw Amber and he opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

"Hi," Amber said hesitantly.

"You're—you're--," Jacob stuttered.

"I'm back," Ali finished for him.

Jacob smiled and swept Amber up in his arms, twirling her around, just like he used to. Amber wrapped her arms around her brother's neck and hugged him tightly.

"I knew you'd come back," Jake said as he set Amber back on the ground, "I knew it!"

Amber smiled. "If you let me inside, we have a lot to talk about."

"Yeah, okay," Jacob said and he turned around to lead the way into the apartment.

Amber took a step forward to follow him.

_"Don't forget me."_

The voice was as soft as the wind, barely above a whisper, but Amber still spun around quickly to stare down the deserted street. Even if there was someone there, hiding in the shadows, it was still too dark to see. She sighed and stepped completely over the threshold, shutting the door behind her.

Ali rose from her crouched position behind the chimney from across the street. She watched as the light from the apartment disappeared, darkening the streets once more. However, she knew it wouldn't be dark for much longer and she didn't want to be out in the open when the sun fully came up.

"Ready to go?" she asked, turning to Timothy.

Timothy hissed in reply and jumped from the roof to the ground in order to stay in the shadows. Ali prepared to follow Timothy down, but chanced one last glance back at the door. She smiled softly and dropped off the roof and to the ground. Timothy hissed the moment Ali was next to him and the two of them vanished into the darkness.


End file.
